Tag Archive for Matt Reynolds

The following is a guest post from longtime friend of MBTN, Edward “Bunt the first Two” Hoyt:

“They got rid of Reynolds.”

>”Well, they designated him for assignment. He may yet survive.”

“I liked him.”

> “Well, I did too. I guess he was just the most expendable and the least claim-able guy on the roster to their estimation. A lot of people’s estimation, I would guess. To tell you the truth, this isn’t a big surprise to the fellers at the Crane Pool.”

“Eff the stupid Crane Pool! It’s not fair!”

> “Son, I’m going to look past that first sentence of yours. About the other part, well, I’m your father, and I guess that means that I’m supposed to have accumulated a lifetime’s worth of wisdom. But I suppose you’re starting to realize that I don’t know a helluva lot, and apart from the whole playing-in-traffic thing, I’m not all that wiser than you, and pretty soon I won’t be fooling your sister either. But there’s one thing I DO know. I know it as well as I do anything. And the sooner you know it too, the better.”

“What’s that?”

> “The minute — and I mean the very minute — that Matt Reynolds decided it was OK to keep wearing 15 after Tim Tebow joined the organization, it was over. He was a walking dead man.”

Inevitably, three consecutive nights of staying up way too late only to see the Mets get destroyed by the Dodgers caught up to me and I was unable to respond to commands to update, but you might know by now that Chasen Bradford was recalled from Las Vegas in time for last night’s Mets game but the box score tells me he didn’t get in so that Fernando Salas and Jerry Blevins (who ought to be traded) could make their respective 35th and 36th appearances of the season.

If and when Bradford gets in, he’ll wear No. 46. He’s up to replace Tyler Pill, who resurfaced to replace Matt Harvey (who ought to be traded), or Zack Wheeler, both of whom went to the disabled list since the last time we updated. Also returning over the last week are Gavin Checchini and Brandon Nimmo, finally, the latter too late to sub for a struggling Curtis Granderson who is suddenly a hot Curtis Granderson (and ought to be traded); Matt Reynolds is back down; Yoenis Cespedes is back up; Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera are on the disabled list but ought to be traded.

Hansel Robles is still down.

The Mets in addition to the injuries haven’t executed plays in the field or with men on base as hitters or pitchers, and you don’t need to tell me it looks pretty bleak. The National League in addition resembles one of those seasons in the NBA where I could tell you the playoff teams a third of the way in and so despite a strain of hope that the Mets and Terry will find a way to play better eventually it looks essentially pointless to try and so we’re likely to confront a bunch of big moves earlier than we may have expected.

Bradford by the way will be the first Mets 46 since Tyler Clippard who to my delight is getting lit up as a member of the Yankees, so you know, it’s not all bad.

Another AAA pitcher has appeared on the big-league roster, taking his spring training number with him. Last night it was Gabriel Ynoa, who not only threw a scoreless inning in his big-league debut but earning the win while doing so surpassed his only predecessor in the jersey, Chris Schwinden for most victories by a guy wearing No. 63.

To make room for Ynoa the Mets demoted Logan Verrett, who hung in there for awhile as the fifth starter — it seemed like every outing was a must-win for him — but he didn’t go and lose all by himself until his most recent starts. Jose Reyes also came back, costing Matt Reynolds his role as starting shortstop. Reynolds showed he get into one every once in a while, but those whiffs are a little much to hang in a pennant race with.

Who knows how it may affect the club’s sudden momentum but the Mets today are expected to officially add Jose Reyes to the roster, suit him in his customary No. 7 jersey (per Adam Rubin), and lead him off tonight versus the Marlins.

No word yet on a corresponding roster move although it seems likelier to me that infielder Matt Reynolds gets sent down than Alejandro De Aza is released. The latter scenario only happens if there’s a true crush on the 40-man roster, and even then, I think they’d look to trade him. Despite appearances, De Aza’s track record and versatility would indicate he’s not completely without value.

Now, onto the important stuff: With Reyes set to take over 7, it triggers yet another uni change for Travis d’Arnaud, whom I’d have advised to stay put. And while it’s possible we’ll see d’Arnaud move back to 15, especially if Reynolds vacates it, I’m proposing a unique solution to a unique problem:

Take No. 8 out of mothballs.

The Mets haven’t issued No. 8 since 2002 (coach Matt Galante), a decision that coincided with Gary Carter’s election to baseball’s Hall of Fame. We can presume the club withheld it so as to give itself runway to retirement had Carter gone into the Hall “as a Met” and following that, in deference to his illness and tragic death in 2012. (I want to be clear I feel the first distinction is very silly and unworthy of the weight it seems to carry in the retired number debate).

But with both those events now in the rear-view, I think there’s an argument to reintroduce No. 8 when warranted, and now is that time. You have a promising young catcher basically forced into a switch, and there’s a dearth of dignified numbers out there (just 1, 18, 46 and 49). He drives you crazy with the health issues and the slumps but d’Arnaud deep down is a heck of a hitter, I think, and at any rate wouldn’t embarrass the memory of Carter (or Yogi Berra, also a numerical descendant) any more than the second coming of Jose Reyes might insult the first Reyes era. The Mets in fact gave No. 8 time off between Yogi’s stints as a player (1965-72) and a manager (1975-79), but those periods came to an end too.

I supported the Mets’ good taste and sensitivity while they withheld No. 8 then and now, but the time has come to reintroduce it. Give the Kid No. 8!

*

PS — Quick note to acknowledge the arrival and departure of Seth Lugo and the first No. 67 in club history last week! I missed that traveling last week.

Congrats to freshly picked Mets Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay and Peter Alonso, the club’s top three selections in the MLB amateur draft. Photographic evidence from their colleges show them wearing 19, 18 and 20, respectively. The draft continues this afternoon.

Speaking of new arrivals, Kelly Johnson is expected to join the club in Milwaukee today, but it’s still unclear whose spot he takes on the roster. If it’s Ty Kelly, Johnson could retain the No. 55 he wore in his last go-round with the Mets but it may well be Matt Reynolds, in which case either Kelly, or Kelly, will wind up with their second Mets uni assignment.

Including coaches and all members of the 40-man roster, available jerseys at the moment include 1, 9, 18, 46, 49, 54, 56, 58, 60, 61 and now 64 — since young pitcher Akeel Morris was sacrificed to Atlanta in the Johnson trade. You might recall Morris was catapulted from Single A to the Mets last summer and got bashed by the Blue Jays in his only appearance.

That incident and the subsequent trade granted Morris entry to an exclusive club of Met pitchers whose career club ERAs exceed their uniform number:

So it looks like Matt Reynolds will wear No. 56 and not No. 60, as passed along here last night.

Our evident goof came by way of what I took to be an eyewitness account of the actual stitching of Reynolds’ jersey, as reported last night by MLB.com’s Joe Trezza:

However this official release this afternoon says Reynolds will be wearing No. 56, so insead of joining the exclusive if unattractive fraternity of Jon Rauch and Scott Schoeneweis, Reynolds inherits the tradition of Brian McRae, Scott Rice, Andres Torres, Dyar Miller and a bunch of coaches and brief visitors in No. 56.

I’ll be at Citifield recycling batteries tonight and will get the dope with my own two eyes.

I’m just as shocked and saddened by the twin tragedies of Game 2 as anyone, and even hearing that Chase Utley is to be suspended for being such an asshole isn’t real justice and calls to mind the way another embarrassment to sportsmanship, Roger Clemens, was disciplined way too long after the crime was committed and in part to obscure how irresponsible and incompetent game and league officials were to let them get away with it in the first place.

That’s the part that really bothers me, and of course it’s imparted a dark edge to this series that needn’t have been there. I’m a little leery of getting into a jock-revenge scenario — you may recall such shenanigans basically cost the Mets home field advantage in this series — but if I’m Corey Seager I wouldn’t get too comfortable in there.

The upshot is the Mets will be without Ruben Tejada for the rest of the postseason and apparently are taking the unusual step of promoting Matt Reynolds to the big leagues for the first time, and making the just-as-weird decision to issue him uniform No. 60, according to reports. Reynolds would only the 3rd Met to wear 60 and the first position player to do so: Flop relief imports Scott Schoeneweis and Jon Rauch were the first two.